TOPOGRAPHICAL REPORT ON THE WHITE RIVER DISTRICT. 



The White Eiver Division left Cheyenne by rail for Eawlins station 

 on the 14th of August. It consisted, besides myself, of Dr. Endlich, 

 geologist, Mr. E. N. Dickerson, barometric observer, two packers, and 

 a cook 5 I myself doing the topographical work. All the animals, in- 

 struments, and pack outfit, together with our two and a half months' 

 supply of provisions, having been shipped as freight, we were obliged to 

 remain over one day at Kawlins before beginning our march to the 

 White Eiver Indian agency, the point selected as headquarters for the 

 season. 



The area assigned us lay to the south and west of the agency and con- 

 sisted of a narrow belt of country, bounded on the south by the "Book 

 Cliffs" and on the north by White Eiver. On the east, the line was the 

 western limit of Mr. Marvine's work of 1874, while the western line was 

 the meridian of 109° 30' west longitude. These limits enclosed about 

 3,000 square miles. 



The march from Eawlins Springs to the White Eiver agency occupied 

 Dine days, as the pack animals were necessarily heavily loaded. We 

 were therefore unable to begin our work until the 27th of August. 



« 



GRAND HOaBACK. 



On that day we occupied Mr. Ladd's Station 29 of 1874, in order to 

 connect our triangulation with that done by him. 



This station lay about four miles southwest of the agency and was 

 made the day after our arrival without moving camp. The following 

 day we moved to the south in the direction of Grand Eiver, continuing 

 our work along the western border of Marvin e and Ladd's district of 

 1874 and connecting our topography with theirs. The route travelled 

 was a broad and well-worn Indian trail which led through a continuous 

 valley at the eastern base of a line of hogback hills, which extend from 

 White Eiver to and across the Grand in an uninterrupted chain, forming 

 a topographical feature so remarkable that we have named it the 

 " Grand Hogback Eange." This Hogback Eange is broken three times 

 by mountain streams flowing down against it from the east, and once it 

 is broken by a narrow pass through which at present but little water 

 finds its way. 



All of these breaks or gaps are walled by high and rugged canon 

 sides, but the steepest and by far the most j>icturesque is the third from 

 the north. A very considerable stream pours through this gateway, 

 and although its flow on either side of the gap is comparatively gentle, 

 it rushes through the canon pass with all the roar and thunder of a 

 mountain torrent, adding in no small degree to the grandeur of the 

 scenery. This canon, although short, is one of the most picturesque in 

 all this portion of Colorado. At the head of the canon the trail forks, 

 and one branch, passing through, leads down over low terraces or along 

 the side of the stream, through a broad sterile valley, to the Grand 

 Eiver. This valley, from its thick carpeting of prickly-pears and other 

 low-growing cacti, has been named " Cactus Valley." Considerable por- 



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